Find nursing shifts across the South East
Book NHS and care shifts from Southampton and Brighton to Oxford and the Thames Valley in a few taps, see your confirmed pay before you accept, and get paid without chasing timesheets. Novello is built for nurses and carers who want steady work close to home.
Quick enquiry
Looking for work in the South East?
Leave your details and we’ll come back to you with the nursing, care and support shifts we have near you in the South East — and what they pay. It takes about twenty seconds.
Nursing in the South East
Why nurses choose Novello in the South East
Work that fits around your life, across nine counties, with none of the usual agency runaround.
Shifts near you, not across the region
Whether you are in Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire or on the Isle of Wight, you pick the shifts that suit you. The app shows what is available nearby, so you are not driving from one side of the region to the other for a single shift.
Confirmed pay before you say yes
Every shift shows its rate up front, so your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you accept. You see exactly what you will earn before you commit, and you are paid promptly with no chasing timesheets or waiting weeks to find out where you stand.
Compliance sorted once, then out of your way
We handle your DBS, mandatory training and revalidation checks properly, so you can move between an NHS ward in Southampton, a care home in Surrey and a secure unit in Oxfordshire without repeating the same paperwork for every placement.
The region we cover
The healthcare landscape in the South East
The South East is England’s most populous region, home to around 9.4 million people across nine counties, and its hospitals, mental health services and care homes all lean heavily on flexible nursing staff.
Acute care here is spread across dozens of hospitals and a run of large teaching trusts. University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust anchors the west of the region at Southampton General, alongside Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust at Queen Alexandra in Cosham and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Basingstoke and Winchester. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs the John Radcliffe and the Churchill in Oxford, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust covers Reading, and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust reaches across Surrey and Berkshire from Frimley Park to Wexham Park in Slough. On the Surrey side, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford and Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust in Chertsey lead acute care, while University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust runs Royal Sussex County in Brighton, Worthing and St Richard’s in Chichester. Kent alone splits its hospital care across four separate acute trusts, and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust runs St Mary’s in Newport as the island’s only acute hospital.
Serious trauma is handled by three Major Trauma Centres within the region, each anchoring its own network: University Hospital Southampton for the Wessex network, the John Radcliffe in Oxford for the Thames Valley, and Royal Sussex County in Brighton for Sussex. Several counties route out of the region instead, with Kent’s most seriously injured going to King’s College Hospital in London and Surrey’s to St George’s in Tooting. Beyond the acute wards, mental health and community care sit with trusts like Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the newly formed Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and the region carries one of the heaviest and most varied secure estates in the country, from the Isle of Sheppey prison cluster in Kent to HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, the largest women’s prison in Europe.
Where we work
Where we cover in the South East
From the Kent and Sussex coast to the Thames Valley and across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, we place nurses and carers across every setting.
Hospitals and theatres
We support wards, day units and operating theatres across the region’s acute trusts and independent hospitals, from University Hospital Southampton and Queen Alexandra in Portsmouth to the John Radcliffe in Oxford, Royal Berkshire in Reading, Frimley Park and Royal Sussex County in Brighton.
Care homes and community
The South East has an older population than most of England, so nursing and residential homes across Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and the Thames Valley rely on regular agency cover, and we place carers and nurses for community and district rounds too.
Mental health and secure care
We cover mental health inpatient units and secure and forensic settings across the region, from the Hellingly Centre in Sussex and Ravenswood House near Fareham to nurse-led healthcare inside HMP Bronzefield, the Sheppey prisons in Kent and HMP Isle of Wight.
That spans Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, East and West Sussex, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight, taking in Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Reading, Oxford, Guildford, Milton Keynes and the towns in between.
Bordering areas we also cover include London, the South West and the East of England.
On the map
Nursing shifts across the South East
We cover the whole region, from Kent and Sussex on the coast to the Thames Valley, with hospitals, care homes and secure units in every county.
Specialisms in the South East
Specialisms we cover in the South East
Whatever your ward or setting, there is regular work somewhere in the region.
- Nursing & care homes
- Mental health
- Prison nursing
- Critical care
- Theatres
Nursing & care homes
The South East has a notably older population than England on average, which drives heavy care-home demand across the region. On the Isle of Wight 29.3 per cent of residents are aged 65 or over (2021 Census, against 18.4 per cent nationally), East Sussex sits at around 27 per cent, West Sussex at about 23 per cent and Kent at 20.5 per cent. Skills for Care records roughly 238,000 filled adult social care posts across the South East in 2024/25, with turnover of around 25 per cent, so nursing and residential homes need steady, reliable cover, and it is some of the most consistent work we offer.
Mental health
Mental health work spans several large trusts here. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust covers East and West Sussex from sites including Langley Green Hospital in Crawley and the Hellingly Centre near Hailsham, the newly formed Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs services across Hampshire and the island, and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust covers Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, alongside Surrey and Borders Partnership and Berkshire Healthcare. We place mental health nurses and support workers into inpatient wards, community teams and secure units.
Prison nursing
The South East carries a heavy, varied secure estate, and prison healthcare is nurse-led and always short of hands. Surrey holds HMP Bronzefield near Ashford, the largest women’s prison in Europe, and Kent has one of the densest clusters in the country with Elmley, Swaleside and Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey. Add Buckinghamshire’s HMP Grendon therapeutic community, HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire, HMP Ford in West Sussex, HMP Winchester and the large HMP Isle of Wight, and it is some of the most rewarding work going for nurses who want something different from a ward.
Critical care
Critical care in the region centres on its three Major Trauma Centres: University Hospital Southampton, one of only two centres in the south of England providing full onsite major trauma care for both adults and children, the John Radcliffe in Oxford for the Thames Valley, and Royal Sussex County in Brighton for Sussex. Kent and Surrey route their most seriously injured to King’s College Hospital and St George’s in London, backed by intensive care units at Queen Alexandra, Royal Berkshire, Frimley Park and across the acute trusts. We place experienced ITU and HDU nurses where the pressure is highest.
Theatres
Theatre work runs across every county and includes some genuinely specialist centres. Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead is a national reconstructive, burns and plastics centre, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford and Stoke Mandeville in Aylesbury, home of the National Spinal Injuries Centre, add major specialist surgery, and the St Luke’s Cancer Centre in Guildford and the Churchill in Oxford run heavy cancer lists. We place scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses and ODPs across elective and emergency work.
Care & support work in the South East
Care and support work in the South East
Most care across the South East is delivered by care assistants and support workers rather than registered nurses. Skills for Care records around 238,000 filled adult social care posts across the region, spread across councils and independent providers in nine counties — one of the largest regional social care workforces in England. The work runs from elderly care homes and supported living to specialist neuro-rehabilitation. Whatever your background, there is regular work near you.
- Care assistant
- Support worker
- Dementia care
- Brain injury
Care assistant
The South East has one of England’s oldest populations, and care-home demand is heaviest on the coast and across the Solent. On the Isle of Wight 29.3% of residents are aged 65 or over — against 18.4% nationally — and in East Sussex the figure is close to 27% (2021 Census). Care assistants are the backbone of the region’s elderly homes, supporting older residents with everyday living, personal care and companionship.
Support worker
Alongside its care homes, the South East’s tightest demand is in non-residential services — home care and supported living. Skills for Care puts the vacancy rate in these community roles at around 10% for 2024/25, more than double the rate in the region’s care homes. That means steady work for support workers who help the people they support live as independently as possible — in their own homes and out in the community, rather than in a care-home setting.
Dementia care
More than 80,000 people across the South East now have a recorded dementia diagnosis (NHS primary care dementia data, 2025), in a region that is both England’s most populous and older than the national average. As the 65-and-over population keeps growing, Skills for Care estimates the region’s care workforce will need around 82,000 more posts by 2040. Dementia care is some of the most valued work in the sector, supporting residents to live well day to day.
Brain injury
The South East is home to the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury — one of the largest specialist spinal-injury units in the world, founded in 1944 and the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. Rehabilitation support workers across the region help the people they support rebuild skills and independence after a brain or spinal injury, work closely related to the complex-care roles that involve tracheostomy and other clinical support.
Not sure which fits? See all care & support roles →
The Novello app
Your work life, in one app
Find the South East shifts, see your confirmed pay and keep your compliance in one place. No more chasing paperwork. Everything you need, on iOS and Android.
For the South East employers
Need nurses in the South East?
We help services across the region fill shifts fast, with staff who are checked and ready.
Whether you run a nursing home in Hampshire, a ward in Oxford or Reading, a mental health unit in Sussex or a theatre list in Surrey, we can supply compliant nurses and carers at short notice. Tell us what you need and we will match reliable local staff who know the setting.
Reviews
Don't just take our word for it.
Novello are highly professional, making the onboarding process easier. What I like most is the fact I can book shifts on the app at my own convenience!
Sarah Theatre
Very competent staff and a welcoming, supportive team. What I like most is the variety of shifts in the Novello app!
Khadra RGN
Everything is really simple. The whole process of joining, and then finding and booking shifts. It's so simple!
Dan SFA
Frameworks & accreditations
Good to know
South East nursing agency FAQs
What kind of nursing shifts can I pick up in the South East?
Plenty. We cover acute wards and theatres across trusts like University Hospital Southampton, Oxford University Hospitals, Royal Berkshire, Frimley Health and University Hospitals Sussex, along with care homes, community rounds, mental health units and prison healthcare, from Kent and Sussex to the Thames Valley and the Isle of Wight.
Which parts of the South East do you cover?
All nine counties. Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, East and West Sussex, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight, taking in Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Reading, Oxford, Guildford and Milton Keynes.
How does pay work?
Every shift shows its rate before you accept, so your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you commit and you always know exactly what you will earn. You are paid promptly, with no chasing timesheets or waiting weeks to find out where you stand.
Do you place mental health and prison nurses?
Yes. The South East has large mental health trusts like Sussex Partnership, Oxford Health and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, plus a heavy secure estate including HMP Bronzefield, the Sheppey prisons in Kent and HMP Isle of Wight. We place nurses and support workers into secure, forensic and inpatient settings as well as general wards.
I am an employer in the South East. Can you help us with staffing?
Yes. We supply checked, compliant nurses and carers to hospitals, care homes, mental health units and secure settings across the region, often at short notice. Get in touch and we will help you fill your rota.
Ready to work on your terms in the South East?
Join Novello and start booking NHS and care shifts from Southampton and Brighton to Oxford and the Thames Valley today, with confirmed pay up front and real support behind you. Download the app or get in touch to get started.
Call 0333 307 8897 · hello@novellohealthcare.com
